St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-09-25
DIAMOND CUT DIAMOND.
Euchred Hotel Man in a
Whisky Bargain.


Euchred Hotel Man in
Whisky Bargain.
Danville (Ky.) Advocate
The last and perhaps the only whisky
transaction General Green Clay Smith
ever had in his life came about in this
way: just before or about the close of
the war Gen, Smith was in Washington
city. Engaging suite of rooms at one
of the fashionable hotels, he had sent
to his rooms ten gallons of fine "Old
Crow" whisky that had been sent to
him by some friends in Kentucky. The
keg was soon exhausted by the gener-
a's friends, save bottle or two, which
he reserved in case of sickness or snake
bite. When the general went to settle
his bill the account presented to him
ran thus:
To corkage forty bottles, at S1..... 40
iotal. ..................... ..........S1,2S $50
Gen. Smith glanced at the bill and
said to the hotel man: ''TwelYe hun
dred dollars is an eXhorbitant price for
the rooms, but | will pay it. The item
for corkage l will not pay, as you had
nothing whatever to do with the whisky
sent to my room and have no right to
oHal sc COl hdSe vi IT, Will SJrOk6
OF his pen the hotel man Cancelled the
corkage item. Gen. Smith drew his
check for 81, 200, and the receipted bill
was handed him. Upon the eve of
leaving the city for Kentucky Gen.
Smith presented the hotel man with a
bottle of whisky, saying; 'Here, 1
want you. to taste the whisky you
wanted to charge me corkage on
The hotel man sampled it and
pronounced it the best he
had ever tasted, at the same time
requesting Gen. Smith, if possible, to
purchase at least five barrels of whisky
for him as soon as he got to Kentucky.
Gen. Smith agreed to accommodate him
and, bidding him good,by, came to Ken
lucky. In few days Gen. Smith went
to wholesale liquor dealer in Coving-
ton, where he found the whisky wanted.
''What can you sell me five barrels Of
whisky for?" asked Gen. Smith.
''Three dollars per gallon" replied
the dealer
''All right" said Smith, ''here is
check for your money. You ship this
whisky to Mr.. -, Washington city,
and bill it to him at $40 per gaIlon.''
The whisky was shipped, Gen. Smith
writing the hotel man that he would be
in the city in a few days to collect the
Uill III pei SOu. LII uuc lllllG liz arrived
in the Capital City and called on the
hotel man to collect his bill. The hotel
man met Mr.. Smith with a laugh and
said:
"Well, general, I guess we are about
even, as you have made more than
enough on that whisky to get back your
hotel bill; but have made good thing
out of the whisky, anyhow. Come now,
it's my treat, and Ill show you how l
have made money and advertised you at
the same time" AS soon as the two en-
tered the saloon the first thing pointed
out to Gen. Smith was several posters
hung over the counter, upon which, in
rich gold letters, was the following:
General Green Clay Smiths Old Crow
Kentucky Bourbon Whisky! Guaran-
teed to be twenty-five years old! Only
so cents a drink" "Well, WELL" said
Gen. Smith, 81 have made 81, 400 profit
on the whisky, which / intended as an
offset to your eXOrbitant board bill. You
take these posters down at once and
We'll call it square and I'll quit the
whisky trade" And, true to his word,
he has not since bought, sold or drank a